As Will is taken away (with Joyce accompanying him) Rob vents his frustration:
“This system is crazy! We could have taken him to a detox service. He didn’t need to be locked up like that. This is just wrong. We need to have a big meeting about this, with all the other agencies. I should say something to our Manager.”
“About time you did that” mutters Irene.
Rob spends the next few days asking clients and staff about this issue of people being turned away because they have both an AOD and a mental health issue – comorbidity. Everyone agrees that the system is unfair and the clients are missing out. There needs to be a better system with better communication between services. He decides he will talk to the boss about what people have been saying.
A few days later and Rob is speaking with his Manager, who agrees that an inter-agency meeting would be a good idea. She asks Rob to write up an agenda and publicise the meeting. She tells Rob to make sure that the purpose of the meeting is clear so everyone knows why they are coming. She says she wants a range of stakeholders there – advocacy organizations, services, departmental people, and clients. The title of the meeting will be: “No Wrong Doors – improving service coordination of intake processes”. The goal will be to have a local service system where nobody with AOD or mental health issues gets turned away. A system where intake workers are able to quickly assess ‘walk-in’ clients and either accept them or make appropriate referrals that are likely to be accepted promptly.
“Oh”, she adds, “you can chair it too. If anyone can’t make it see if you can arrange some way for them to have input”
Question 1
(a) List four ways in which Rob could publicise the meeting and communicate details of the meeting to the participants and other stakeholders. Think about using digital media.
(b) Name five people, or groups of people, who should participate in the meeting.
(c) List at least 5 items, or headings, that should be on a general meeting agenda. Eg. Present and apologies
(d) Why is it important for Rob to record aspects of the meeting? Think about legal requirements and written correspondence protocols.
(e) How can Rob encourage others to contribute to, and follow, the meeting objectives and agenda?
(f) Hypothetically, if Joyce got a job at Careshore and then went to the meeting with Will to continue speaking on his behalf. Could this be a conflict of interest? If so, why?
(g) What is a strategy that Rob could use to make sure everyone is able to participate equally (think about how he can seek and acknowledge comments and contributions from all meeting participants)?
Scenario (continued)
When one of the clients has their turn to introduce themselves he becomes very flustered. He says he doesn’t like public speaking. He starts to speak again but stops and is obviously nervous and almost panicking.
Question 2
(a) What strategies could Rob do to make it easier for the man to have his say?
(b) Are there any other communication strategies that could be employed in a meeting to ensure individuals with specific communication needs were addressed?
(c) How can Rob ensure all relevant issues are covered in the meeting?
d) How could Rob utilize these communication tools to facilitate the meeting?
e) How does attending a workplace meeting contribute to a staff member’s professional development?